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The Grace Of The Guru J.P. VASWANI At the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, the upadesh for the day ends with the unforgettable words: Om, Brahma kripa hi kevalam! Krishna kripa hi kevalam! Guru kripa hi kevalam….. Kevalam is the ultimate. The ultimate is that which transcends time and space. This is the quality of Guru kripa, which is equated with Brahma-kripa and Krishnakripa. Can there be anything higher than the Guru’s grace? The average man and woman a n d child
will testify to the fact that there is a lot in worldly life to be ‘happy’ about. Truly, many of us experience this ‘joy’ when we feel happy and contended over matters concerning wealth: I have got a promotion and an increment; I have received a fat bonus; I have made profit; I have won a jackpot, etc. All of this gives us but fleeting happiness. But a stage will come in our lives, when we realise the need for sat-chit-ananda – true and everlasting bliss. This may also be called Brahmananda or supreme bliss. Who can give it to us? For it is not an easy thing to attain – worldly wealth cannot buy it for us. Only one who has himself experienced this supreme bliss can lead us towards it – such a one is the Guru – for God has bestowed on him the competence to experience such bliss. What is it that makes him the transmitter of such knowledge, such wisdom and such bliss to us – wandering souls desperately seeking liberation? He, the Guru is the chosen one – God has blessed him with supreme knowledge and supreme bliss. Why should he choose to share this divine blessing with us?
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The answer is simple: Gurukripa – the grace of the Guru. I have read somewhere that there is a treatise called Yoga Taravali, which enumerates no less than one hundred and twenty-five thousand ‘techniques’ to attain to Truth. Undoubtedly, all of us are free to try them: anyone can undertake different types of spiritual discipline; anyone can practise meditation and yoga; anyone can recite the sacred mantras – but all this will be of no avail to us without the Guru’s grace. If the truth were to be told, even sadhana (constant spiritual practice) can make the aspirant overconfident and proud. The sadhaka takes pride in his identity, in his own sense of discipline and in his own adherence to techniques – alas, he is trapped in his own ego! The Shaiva tradition tells us that God performs five actions: • He creates the Universe. • He sustains it. • He dissolves it. • He conceals it within His being, so that it may be created again. • He bestows His Grace on suffering jivatmas, so that they may realise their oneness with Him and become free of bondage. This last function – the bestowing of grace upon the jivatmas – God, in His Divine wisdom, has devolved to the Guru. This is the essence of Guru-kripa. To quote an ancient sutra, “The Guru is the gracebestowing power of God.” We have seen that the Guru is not just another great teacher, a brilliant individual: the power
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of God, the grace of God are vested in him. This shakti flows through him; it is transmitted to us through his boundless grace. And what of us who receive this grace? It awakens the Divine within us; it illumines us from within; it unfolds the process of self-realisation. The poet-saint Sunderdas tells us: There is no knowledge without the Guru, No meditation without the Guru. No discipline without the Guru. No love without the Guru. Without the Guru, you cannot even think about the self. Your intellect is not illumined. Nor is your delusion removed. Even the Vedas say: Without the Guru you cannot attain the Highest State. I may be able to deliver lectures; I may be able to recite from the scriptures; I may practise a hundred tough sadhanas – it is only the grace of the Guru that is going to help me attain anything. Without the Guru’s grace, we are capable of nothing, we can attain nothing. Therefore, Sadhu Brahmananda said to us: “Become the dust of the Guru’s feet – and then you will meet God.” The Guru is the ocean of grace; He is also the transmitter of grace – but we have to yearn for this grace, we have to allow the Guru to work on us, so that we may receive His grace. When I met the pure one I also became pure. From him I received grace And I began to meditate.
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As I meditated, my individuality vanished And I myself became Conscious I myself became the Guru….. In the West, they talk of the Philosopher’s stone, (we call it the paras mani), which can transform all it touches to gold. I would say the Guru’s grace is even greater – all who are touched with His true grace, the worthy, deserving ones, he can turn into likenesses of Himself. Is this not infinite grace? There is a beautiful incident from the life of Sant Eknath, which illustrates the power of the Guru’s grace. There was a poor brahmin lady who had a young son, who was somewhat intellectually deficient. Unable to bring up the boy, she begged the saint to offer him food and shelter at his ashram. However, the young boy was terrified and reluctant to leave his mother. “Will you come to stay with me and my people, if I promise to give you puranpolis everyday?” the saint asked him gently. The boy’s eyes widened with delight. Puranpolis, as some of you may know, are rotis stuffed with a delicious sweet filling, and made in Maharashtrian households on all special and festive occasions. The boy had a sweet tooth, and was extremely fond of puranpolis. He agreed to go and live with the Guru. The Guru kept up his promise to the lad. Everyday, he was fed puranpolis – and because he ate them with such delight, people began to call him Puranpolya. He was in no mental state to learn anything or practise any sadhana. Everyone around the Guru dismissed him as a foolish, crazy
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fellow being fed and clothed and sheltered at the Guru’s mercy. But the ‘fool’ had one object of love and worship. He adored his Guru. He constantly watched him, sat at his feet and listened to all that the Guru said. The Guru was his focus. The Guru was the centre of his existence. Years passed, and Sant Eknath knew that his earthly pilgrimage was coming to an end, and that he was about to be united with the Oversoul. His disciples, overwhelmed with grief, thought of the saint’s great work, Bhavartha Ramayan, which would now remain incomplete. Shortly before he left his physical form, Eknath told his devotees that his unfinished work would be completed by one of them – and they were dumbfounded when he named Puranpolya. The disciples thought: this crazy fellow, this fool, this illiterate, worthless one – how could he, of all people, complete the Master’s brilliant commentary on the Ramayana? On his deathbed, Eknath called Puranpolya to come near him and laid his hand on his head. Puranpolya’s life, his whole being was transformed. He became an inspired, enlightened soul. By the grace of his touch, the Guru had raised the level of his consciousness and brought him up to the level of being his successor. Some would say, that the miracle happened when the boy put his life into the Guru’s hands and came to live at His feet. But we must not take away from the years of worship, the
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years of adoration and the spirit of surrender which Puranpolya humbly offered to the Guru. What is learning, what is bookknowledge, what are spiritual practices without the Guru’s grace? When the Guru comes into your life, he brings grace with Him. When His grace envelops you, everything is illumined. Without His grace, all you can do is guesswork! I know about this – and I can talk about it from my own practical experience! My beloved Gurudev, was a being of tremendous spiritual magnetism. His love was boundless – so potent, that I cannot find the words to describe such love. It was as though he was built of love, made of love. His eyes were radiant with love. His words were vibrant with love. The very tips of his fingers thrilled with love. It was this love that enveloped me. It had the power to attract and draw me to him. Although it is now over forty years since Sadhu Vaswani left his physical body, his presence remains real for many of us. All the activities and service programmes of the Mission bearing his sacred name, are devoted to Him, consecrated to Him, to this day. Many of my friends mention with regret, that they are not able to be with the Guru in his physical presence. I urge them to practise the presence of the Guru – to carry his name on their lips, his image in their hearts, and his message in their deeds of daily living. This is called practising the presence of the Guru.
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Do you live in India, while your Guru lives in America? Or, is it the other way about? It does not matter how far away you are from his physical presence: do only what you think the Guru will permit you to do. Do not say to yourself, I can do what I want, since the Guru is not here to tell me what to do. If there is a difficult choice before you, ask yourself first: “What would my Guru want me to do?” We must realise the truth once and for all – on our own, we are nothing; we can achieve nothing. The more we strive to be humble, the more subtle our ego becomes, so subtle that it is only the Guru who can detect it. This is why we need him as our guide and guardian, at every step, in every stage of life. Other ‘experts’ are of no avail: only an evolved soul, as Friend of God, one who has seen God and known God, who lives and moves and has his being in God – only he can help us on the path of shreya. And so, Sadhu Vaswani writes: “Can you leap without feet? Can you smile without lips? Can you rest without sleep? Nor can you find the way – The True way – without the Guru.” Why do we stumble, when we set out on the path? The vasanas are subtle – the ego is subtle – and the Guru must eradicate them with his grace. We are limited, finite beings, and with a load of karma that we carry, we are struggling up the narrow, steep path of shreya. The wise ones warn us that this path is so narrow, that two cannot walk abreast on it. We have to walk alone. But there is an invisible hand that guides us; an effulgent
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light that shines before us. This “The Guru,” Sadhu Vaswani said to us, “is the lift to raise us to is the light of the Guru’s grace. the heights, the lift which may He knows well, the twists and take little ones (aspiring souls) turns and curves on the path to the Kingdom of God.” Where that we must not stumble upon. would we be without the Guru’s His light will help us realise the grace? The Tamil Saint, Manikka truth, remove the obstacles from Vaasakar sings: the path and proceed slowly but steadily towards the destination. To me, low as I was, Thou The light shines because of didst grant grace That I… should his grace; the hand guides us, melt in Divine love Thou cam’st because of his in grace upon this grace. We are earth To show on our feet and e must realise the Thy essential walking, only grace – More truth once and for thanks to his precious than a grace. There all – on our own, we are mother’s love! are times on the nothing; we can achieve journey – and Man, today every aspirant has become a nothing. The more we strive knows this – traveller in space. to be humble, the more He has set out when we are ready to give subtle our ego becomes, on the outward up, ready to journey: he has so subtle that it is only the landed on the turn back on the goal. We are Guru who can detect it. This moon. He wishes discouraged, to build colonies is why we need him as our in space. But disillusioned. God does not seem to guide and guardian, at every when he learns hear us or see us; to look inward, step, in every stage of life. we even begin when he sets to wonder, if He out in quest of is aware of our his True Self, the very existence and the struggle Atman, he will realise his true we are going through to attain nature, his innate Divinity. He Him! Of what use is this effort, will begin to live the true life – we ask ourselves. It is taking us the life that is lived in God. But nowhere! Better to give up this there need not be a punishing phantom chase and turn back effort; there need not be a severe to the material world, where struggle to undertake this journey. our achievements are real and There is an effortless way. As the measurable! And so we turn back river flows on, singing its songs on the path – if the Guru is not to the moving winds and the there with us. But if he is there, patient trees, as the river glides he will not let us give up the on without effort, even so, can struggle. Whether or not we are we live life in the effortless way – capable, he is determined that when we hand our lives over to we should succeed in our efforts! the Guru.
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Sadhu Hiranand*: His Educational Creed SADHU VASWANI
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everence, Hiranand taught, was the secret of religion: reverence for the Infinite who manifests Himself on earth in parents and teachers, in forms around us, in the Earth that gives us corn, in the sun that gives us heat, and in the stars that teach us humility. Hiranand taught, too, that religion was reverence for the poor and lowly, and for birds and animals. At the roots of Christian Renaissance in Europe, stood men like St. Bernard and St. Francis of Assisi. At the roots of Sind’s renewal stand her great ones: three of them are Rishi Dayaram, Sadhu Hiranand and Sadhu Navalrai. I greet them as her Rishis, her practical mystics, her prophets of the ideal. To one of them is sacred July 14: that day Hiranand passed away in 1893. Many years ago, I sat at Hiranand’s feet to learn what he taught in his simple, moving words. He gave us stories and lessons in history; he gave us parables and poems—above all the great poem of his life. It was a life of tender grace and beauty and love.
Not many know that two saints of India, Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Keshub Chandra Sen, loved and blessed Hiranand. It was Hiranand’s privilege to shampoo Ramakrishna and rub his body with oil for bath and serve him in other ways. “How far is your Hyderabad?” asked Ramakrishna. Hiranand said: “About 2000 miles away!” And the saint said in his childlike way: “So there are God’s men even so far off! Blessed be God!” God’s man, indeed, was Hiranand. By temperament he loved silence and solitude. In his heart was a longing for communion with God: he, also, mingled with men: for he longed to serve his people. Goethe taught that
*July 14 is sacred as Sadhu Hiranand’s Anniversary.
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the formative factors of life were these two: (1) solitude; and (2) ‘torrent of the world’. “Talent,” he said, “forms itself in solitude; character in the torrent of the world.” Mingling with his people, Hiranand grew in that nonsectarian spirit, that “openness” which, Goethe rightly says, “wins the very heart of God.” Hiranand loved the poor and served the sick with singular devotion. Not without reason was the “Leper Asylum” at Mangha Pir (Karachi) associated with Hiranand’s name. And Hiranand realised that in daily meditation and prayer was given the power to serve. There is within you the centre of that creative culture which links man with God, Nature and History and which blends music and art with crafts and literature. Hiranand realised, too, that worship was incomplete without service of the poor and love of the little ones. Hiranand’s “Academy” gave him opportunity to enrich his life with “the wealth of childhood”. And Hiranand taught the youths of his land to stand on their own feet, to see with their own eyes, to rely on themselves, and on the ideals of the truly great ones of Humanity. This synthesis made his life beautiful. Hiranand served Sind for a few years only. But they were abundantly blessed. Born in Hyderabad, he died in Patna at the early age of 30. I regard him as one of the truly great ones of Modern India. He was the Head of one of the biggest schools in the
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Bombay Presidency: but he took not a rupee for his work. In his system of education there was place for music, for art, for physical training, for religion. He found that the education which the youths received was vague, incoherent: it weakened their will-power: it made them interceded: it excited desires: it did not awaken aspirations for the divine values of life. He taught his pupils to express life: he trained them not by repression but through the spiritual power of sympathy, love, and reverence. And the one thought he impressed on us, in many ways, was that education was a training in the service of society. Is not the great lesson of world-history this, that knowledge is for social ends? Hiranand’s educational creed may be expressed in a few words thus: “Be true to thine own self, to thy society and to humanity.” Religion was an integral part of Hiranand’s educational ideal: but by religion he did not mean a “creed”, a “theology”, a “rite” or a “ceremony”. Reverence, Hiranand taught, was the secret of religion— reverence for the Infinite who manifests Himself on earth in parents and teachers, in forms around us, in the Earth that gives us corn, in the sun that gives us heat, and in the stars that teach us humility. Hiranand taught, too, that religion was reverence for the poor and lowly, and for birds and animals.
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Sadhu Hiranand: His Educational Creed And Hiranand said to us: “Have reverence, too, for yourself: for deep within you is the Self that is divine!” Goethe puts in the mouth of Faust the words: “What from the world have I to gain? Thou must renounce! Renounce!” Hiranand practised “renunciation” in joy! With joy he went to serve the patients in hospital; with joy he nursed the cholera-stricken patients and healed them: with joy he met poor women and widows to help and heal them: with joy he nursed his dear daughter day by day, and night after night until he himself caught the fatal fever and died at the early age of 30. With joy he mingled with students
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and young men. “To live is to be happy,” he said, life is a blessing.” He loved the young; he loved the poor: and he loved silence. The poets and prophets of Sind have sung of the Kingdom of Silence—an Inner Kingdom. A servant of that Kingdom was Hiranand. He taught that India would be rebuilt not in shouts and shows but in silence and sacrifice... Where art thou, Hiranand? I seek thee: the voices of the woodlands and the rays of the dawn and the songs of compassion and love sung on the banks of Sindhu and the Ganges and Jamuna as they pour on broken hearts.
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“ASK GOD TO HELP YOU FORGIVE!” J.P. VASWANI
Mary Chandler narrates a moving story about the healing power of forgiveness from her own life. When Mary was barely 16 years old, disaster struck her family. A terrible accident took place outside their home, when a huge truck rammed into her parents’ car. Her six year old sister and two year old brother were scared stiff, but safe in the back seat. The father was badly shaken, but unharmed. However, her mother was severely injured. Her head lay on the pavement, her feet were still wedged in the car, and blood streamed down her face and hair. Shocked and terrified, Mary could only pray, “Please God, O please don’t let my Mom die!” In a daze, she watched the ambulance arrive and take her mother away to the hospital.
Then she saw the driver of the truck — tall, slim, dressed in working clothes – standing with his head bowed, near the smashed car. “I’m sorry,” he said to her. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see the stop sign and ….” “I hate you!” cried Mary. “I hate you! Look what you’ve done to my Mom! Why couldn’t you drive more carefully? I’ll never ever forgive you – I hope God doesn’t either!” Mary was deeply troubled, sorely embittered. “What has my Mom done to deserve this?” she thought. “What have we done to deserve this? Why did God allow this to happen to us?” “The accident ended my childhood,” Mary was to write later. At sixteen, she became the surrogate mother to her siblings – all six of them. The
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older children shared the chores of cooking, cleaning and laundry with her. She attended school during the day and worked part time in a local movie theatre in the evenings. She did her homework between 11.00 p.m. and 1.00 a.m. at night. She missed her mother! Her love and warmth and care were all lost to the children. Money was tight too – for her mother’s income was now lost. The children could not even visit her as often as they liked, for she had been shifted to a hospital 200 miles away to receive specialised care. As the weeks dragged on, Mary’s bitterness grew. Reports from the hospital were not good – her mother’s mind and memory were still hazy. Doctors had still not been able to relieve the pressure on her head. Mary no longer blamed God for what had happened – but she hated and despised the truck driver who had caused the accident. “He should be the one to suffer – not us,” she thought in anger. Her father travelled by bus to visit the hospital whenever he could find time from his overworked and underpaid job. As for the children, they were allowed to talk to their mother once every few weeks, whenever she could find the strength to talk – even that seemed to exhaust her. Worries, responsibilities and constant work took their
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toll on the children. One night, Mary was sitting at the dining table, working on a huge pile of assignments, when she was overwhelmed by tears. “I can’t go on like this,” she sobbed. “God, please help me.” She felt the old bitterness and anger return, as she thought of the tall, thin truck driver. “Mary,” she heard her mother’s voice saying, “I have forgiven him. It’s time you did too.” Startled, Mary looked up to see if her mother was there – but of course she was not! She was in the hospital, miles away. Mary longed to be with her mother, to see her, to touch her. For months now, she had been playing the role of mother to her kid brothers and sisters – now, suddenly, she wanted her mother to hold her and comfort her. “Forgive him,” repeated the mother’s voice. “If you can’t do it on your own, ask for God’s help to forgive him.” Mary closed her tear-filled eyes. “Please God,” she prayed. “Don’t let my heart harden to stone. Help me to understand. Help me to forgive!” She remembered the slim man’s anguished face and trembling voice saying, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” She had heard from her father that the man had been calling the hospital constantly to enquire about her mother. He too had suffered because of
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the accident. He had a wife and small children, and he had lost his job after the crash. He had been talking to both her father and the hospital, and had even come to visit her mother once. He did care – and he was sorry. As Mary prayed that night, she found that her bitterness began to dissolve. The hatred in her heart vanished, and she felt compassion for the first time. She thought of the guilt and the heartache the driver must have suffered, and her heart went out to his family. Suddenly, the phone rang. It was 12:30 am. Mary lifted the receiver with trembling hands. “Honey, it’s Mom,” she heard as if in a dream. “The switchboard is closed for the night, so I came over to the payphone to talk to you. How are you my darling?” “But … but Mom, how did you get to the phone at this time of night?” Mary stammered. She had heard from her Dad that her mother still suffered from severe dizziness, which prevented her from standing upright and walking. Whenever she had tried to get up from her bed and walk on her own, she had fallen down and lain helplessly on the floor, until someone came to her aid. How could she have come up to the payphone? May be someone helped her. “Mary, are you all right?” she repeated. “I am fine Mom,” Mary blurted out, a
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smile spreading across her tear stained face. “I’m just fine. Tell me, how are you?” “At peace,” came the mother’s reply. “So am I Mom,” Mary whispered. “So am I. Finally, I have forgiven him. I just spoke to God before you called, and I feel a burden has been lifted from my heart. I have forgiven the driver who caused your accident.” “Mr. Abbott will be so relieved,” said her mother. “Your Dad and I have forgiven him long ago. But he still remembers what you said, and he has asked me again and again if you would ever forgive him. He was here to see me today, you know.” Mary felt a lump in her throat. “Next time he calls, Mom,” she said, “tell him please.” Six weeks later, Mary’s mother came back home, almost completely recovered. The accident taught Mary valuable lessons – she learnt to forgive and be forgiven. She says she still hears her mother’s voice, “Ask God to help you forgive him.” It made a great difference in her life! Forgiveness is not just a favour you confer upon another person. It is a muchneeded protection you need for yourself. It cleanses you and protects you from corrosive feelings of bitterness and anger that can corrupt the mind and soul.
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A PILGRIM’S SONG SADHU VASWANI Suddenly I found him in my room. His face was fair: Silent was he, with tears in his eyes. “Who art thou?” I asked. “A singer,” he said. And on his lips I saw a flute. “What singest thou?” I asked. “Hearest thou not? I sing the Love that hath no ending. To children I sing: Blessed are ye, O little ones!’ And I sing to hopeless hearts, And to those that travail and groan, In anguish and pain, And to the birds whom we shoot to death, And the animals we drag to the slaughter-house!” I looked up! I gazed at the beauteous face. Tears trickled down mine eyes. I touched the Lotus-Feet of my Lord I said: “Shyama! Shyama! Beloved of my heart!” I looked up again: He had vanished! I rose up: and I said: “O Thou, the Ever-Ancient, Puratanam! Still dost Thou sing With the stars and the moon And the sun! A pilgrim am I On the Unknown Way! Thy Shelter I seek. And I am a lover of life. May I love Every bird and every beast, And every insect that crawls, And every creature that loves the light! And may I love the little ones!”
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The Teacher And The Disciple SADHU VASWANI The Teacher is called Guru. And a disciple is one who loses himself in the Teacher. He who follows his own desires is not a true disciple. The man, who has doubts in his heart and is dominated by desires, may be intellectually strong and an able debator, but a disciple he is not, for he is a worshipper of himself. A true Teacher, Guru, is not recognised by many. Recognition is response to vibrations. We have not grown to the stage where we respond to the Pure and True. We are sensitive to the sensational: we are influenced by propaganda and personal desires. We have the pride of the lower self: we are victims to pride. Among the marks of a true disciple are the following: 1) Humility. When a true disciple was asked whether he was a disciple, he answered: “I am trying to be one: so help me God!” He, who has this humility, avoids one of the dangers on the Path — ostentation and pretension. 2) Obedience to the Teacher. In obeying his Teacher the disciple obeys God. The Teacher puts the disciple to severe tests. One of them is this: the Teacher asks the disciple to be physically afar! The Teacher knows that a raw fruit, to ripen, must have both sunshine and shadow: so a disciple must have the double experience of fellowship and separation.
And in “separation”, too, is “union”. Spiritual obedience to the Teacher’s will, not physical nearness to the Teacher, is a mark of true discipleship. 3) Seva or service. The disciple must serve the Teacher. Growing in humility, obedience and service, the disciple will develop intuition, and pass to meet his Guru on the buddhi plane. Intuition is the power to see on the inner plane. When this power develops, the disciple does not argue: he easily understands his Teacher. The disciple learns to feel the wishes of his Teacher, though the Teacher may speak not a single word. So the master said: “my own hear my voice” — the Voice of the Heart. Some scientists have begun to talk, today, of “etheric vision”, i.e. the power to see in subtler matter — the finer matter on the astral plane. When “etheric vision” becomes “normal” in the days to come, men will know that the physical is not the only plane: then will materialism die. A true disciple becomes less and less argumentative, more and more intuitional. He loses himself in the Guru: he sacrifices his self, his desires and self-conceit. A man of God was asked: “What is the way to God?” And he said: “When thou has vanished on the way, then hast thou come to God!” So is the disciple prepared to see the light!
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LAUGH YOUR WAY TO HEALTH Doctor: I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first? Patient: Give me the bad news first. Doctor: We amputated the wrong leg. Patient: What is the good news? Doctor: Your other leg doesn’t need to be amputated after all. *** Late one night in the insane asylum, one inmate shouted, “I’m Napoleon!” Another said, “How do you know?” The first inmate said, “God told me.” Just then a voice from the next room shouted, “I did not.” *** Way out in space, two aliens are watching Earth and talking to each other. The first alien says, “The dominant life forms on the Earth planet have developed satellite-based nuclear weapons.” *** Physics Teacher: “Isaac Newton was sitting under a tree when an apple fell on his head and he discovered gravity. Isn’t that wonderful?” Student: “Yes sir, if he had been sitting in class looking at books like us, he wouldn’t have discovered anything.” ***
The man: “God, how long is a million years?” God: “To me, it’s about a minute.” The man: “God, how much is a million dollars?” God: “To me it’s a penny.” The man: “God, may I have a penny?” God: “Wait a minute.” *** Te a c h e r : “Why are you late, Joseph?” J o s e p h : “Because of a sign down the road.” Teacher: “What does a sign have to do with you being late?” Joseph: “The sign said, ‘School Ahead, Go Slow!’” *** Teacher: “If you had one dollar and you asked your father for another, how many dollars would you have?” Vincent: “One dollar.” Teacher: “You don’t know your arithmetic.” Vincent: “You don’t know my father.” *** “Did God make you, Papa?” “Yep! He certainly did.” “And did He make me too?” “Of course, He did.” “Well, He’s certainly doing better as He goes along, isn’t He?” ***
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Children’s Corner MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
Euro, pound, lira, dirham, rupee… Which countries use these currencies? Try out this currency quiz. At the end of it you will be richer for the experience. Each question is followed by some possible answers. Select the one that you think is the correct answer. 1. I’m France, the land of Eiffel Tower and Zizou Zidane. My currency is: • Franc • Euro • Pound • Dollar
4. I’m Brazil, the land of football and the Amazon rain forest. My currency is: • Real • Pound • Yen • Rupee
2. I’m the United States, the land of Walt Disney and the Grand Canyon. My currency is: • Euro • Yen • Peso • Dollar
5. I’m China, the land of the Great Wall and the fastest train in the world, the Maglev. My currency is: • Yen • Rupiah • Yuan • Peso
3. I’m Argentina, the land of Maradona and the Pampas grasslands. My currency is: • Dinar • Dollar • Peso • Real
6. I’m Japan, the land of cherry blossoms and Sumo wrestling. My currency is: • Dinar • Yen • Lira • Euro
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7. I’m Russia, the land of ballet and the world’s largest country in size. My currency is: • Euro • Ruble • Lira • Pound 8. I’m Indonesia, the land of the Bali and Javanese Ramayana, and I’m spread across the equator. My currency is: • Dollar • Rupiah • Dinar • Dirham 9. I’m Thailand, the ‘land of Smiles’ and of Pagodas. My currency is: • Rupee • Baht • Ringgit • Dollar 10. I’m South Africa, the land of Nelson Mandela and Gandhi’s Tolstoy Farm. My currency is: • Dollar • Rand • Ringgit • Kroner 11. I’m Botswana, the land of the Kalahari desert and a proud democracy in Africa. My currency is: • Pula • Dollar • Kroner • Rand
12. I’m Bangladesh, the land of Nobel Peace Prize winner for 2006, Muhammad Yunus and of coastal mangrove forests. My currency is: • Rupee • Taka • Dinar • Dollar 13. I’m Saudi Arabia, the land of the Bedouin and the world’s largest petroleum producer and exporter. My currency is: • Riyal • Dinar • Dirham • Real 14. I’m Turkey, the land of Nobel writer Orhan Pamuk and the Bosphorous. My currency is: • Dinar • Lira • Euro • Dollar
Answers. 1. Euro 2. Dollar 3. Peso 4. Real 5. Yuan 6. Yen 7. Ruble 8. Rupiah 9. Baht 10. Rand 11. Pula 12. Taka 13. Riyal 14. Lira
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SIMPLE RULES OF HEALTH NATURAL NATURAL BODY BODY CARE CARE
Cooking and eating an ayurvedic diet nourishes us from the inside out, but to truly get the total benefits of this science you should also enrich yourself from the outside. Here are five products that are suitable for all doshas. 1. Sesame or neem oil for gargling and brushing the gums. This should be done for about 10 minutes. Both of these have astringent properties so see which one is more compatible to your taste. 2. Sesame or coconut oil for oiling the body, face and scalp – dry skin is usually an issue that occurs head to toe. These oils not only moisturise, but are absorbed into the skin quickly. Sesame is better for very dry skin while coconut for overheated skin. 3. Neti pot and salt for washing the nasal passages – the nose filters so much that it can actually become clogged.
By rinsing your passages with a saline solution, you can help clear your passages. This process when done daily should ease allergies and skin problems. 4. Turmeric soap for the body and face – turmeric is known as an herbal antiseptic. The same anti inflammatory properties it has when ingested, can also be found when it’s used topically. It can clean surface bacteria and gently soothe any redness or swelling. 5. Use lavender essential oil as deodorant. This oil is not only used in aromatherapy, it also kills bacteria. Just use a drop in the palms and lightly rub it into your underarms. All of these methods help to remove chemicals from your daily personal care routines. It’s always best to choose something that is as close to its natural state as possible.
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Recipes For the Month to make a basket, along the mesh of the strainer. 5. Heat the oil in a deep non-stick pan, hold the strainer with the noodles in the hot oil. 6. Keep pouring the oil all over the noodles evenly and deep fry till it turns golden brown in colour from all the sides 7. Remove the taro nest carefully from the strainer and place on an absorbent paper. 8. Repeat steps 4 to 6 to make 1 more nest. Keep aside TARO NEST WITH WARM SALAD FOR THE TARO NEST 2 cups parboiled hakka noodles 2 tsp cornflour Salt to taste Oil for deep frying FOR THE WARM SALAD 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun) 1 tsp finely chopped green chillies ½ tsp finely chopped ginger (adrak) ¼ cup sliced spring onions (whites and greens) ½ cup diagonally cut and blanched baby corn ½ cup capsicum cubes ½ cup diagonally cut blanched French beans ½ cup bean sprouts ½ tsp soy sauce 1 ½ tsp honey Salt to taste FOR THE GARNISH 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds METHOD 1. Spread the parboiled noodles on a kitchen towel and keep aside for 20 mintutes 2. Transfer the noodles into a bowl or plate, add the cornflour and salt and toss gently 3. Divide the noodles into 2 equal portions 4. Place 1 portion of the noodles in a strainer
FOR THE WARM SALAD 1. Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the garlic, green chillies and ginger and sauté on a high flame or 30 seconds. 2. Add the spring onions and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. 3. Add the baby corn and sauté on a medium flame for 1 minute. 4. Add the capsicum, French beans, bean sprouts, soya sauce, honey and salt and sauté on a high flame for 2 minutes. HOW TO PROCEED 1. Divide the warm salad into 2 equal portions. 2. Place one portion of the salad into a taro nest and top it with ½ tsp of sesame seeds. 3. Repeat step 2 to make 1 more nest. 4. Serve immediately STEWED NOODLES INGREDIENTS 2 cups boiled hakka noodles 2 tbsp oil 2 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun) 1 ½ finely chopped ginger (adrak) 2 tsp finely chopped green chillies ½ cup colored capsicum (yellow, green, red) cubes ½ par boiled broccoli florets 1 cup par boiled sliced baby corn
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FOR THE SAUCE 2 cups clear vegetable stock 2 tbsp cornflour 1 tsp soy sauce Salt and sugar to taste
METHOD 1. Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame; add the garlic ginger and green chillies and sauté on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes. 2. Add the prepared sauce and noodles, mix well and cook on a high flame for 2 to 3 mins while stirring occasionally 3. Serve immediately ORIENTAL STIR-FRY VEGETABLES IN PEANUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS 1 ½ cups cooked rice noodles FOR THE STIR FRY VEGETABLES 1 tbsp butter ¼ cup thinly sliced spring onions whites ½ bean sprouts ¼ cup shredded cabbage ¼ cup carrot juliennes ½ cup paneer/tofu cubes Salt and freshly ground pepper (kalimarch) to taste FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE 2 tbsp peanut butter ½ tsp soy sauce
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1 tsp tamarind (imli pulp) ¼ cup chopped jaggery (gur) salt to taste FOR THE PEANUT SAUCE • Boil ½ cup of water in a broad nonstick pan, add the peanut butter, soya sauce, tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 minutes, while stirring occasionally. Keep aside FOR THE STIR FRY VEGETABLES 1. Heat the butter in a broad non-stick pan, add the spring onion whites and sauté on a high flame for a few seconds 2. Add bean sprouts, red cabbage, carrot and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes 3. Add the paneer/tofu, salt and pepper, toss gently and cook on a medium flame for 1 min, keep aside HOW TO PROCEED 1. Just before serving, re-heat the peanut sauce and stir fry vegetables. 2. Place half the rice noodles on a serving plate 3. Top it with half the stir fry vegetables 4. Finally put half the peanut sauce evenly over it. 5. Repeat steps 2 and 4 to make one more serving. 6. Serve immediately
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